yes….he, subban, emelin, ak….all in contract years….coincidence they have all spent significant stints in the doghouse??? Dd signed thorugh next year for 850 k..coincidence he is centering only line that remained constant all year? It will be interesting to see what happens to Dd next year in his contract year…

Well, Boone, balogna has gotten you this far; why stop now? ZING! BOO-YAH! Just kidding, Booneyoonski (may I call you Booneyoonski?) Nothing but love for ya! But just platonic love, not that there’s anything wrong with the other kind. Maybe “platonic” isn’t the right word considering we’ve never met. Maybe “love” isn’t the right word either. I’ll show myself out.

I don’t understand it either. Surely, when the team is all but eliminated from playoff contention, it can afford to give him more ice time, especially on the power play, to further his development as a player and to correct mistakes in his game when the games don’t count for much.

I wonder if post season comes and our team does a rebuild (New ‘bilingual’ coach – i don’t agree with it but then; this is Montreal; New staff; New GM – maybe some fresh faces that came from other teams’ some new AHL players, New prospects/draft picks) and after that, still the same result (below a playoff spot in the standings, replacing the coach ‘again’, asking for Molson to restructure the management and team)! I’m really curious as to how people will react to this.

Honestly, our current Habs team have guts going through this game they lost. Although they looked so banged this evening like what they were when they lost to the Devils, they still made an effort in playing against the Stars.

@kempie to tell you the truth, I feel like Gainey has been through so much as a player, gm, family man, that I think it’d just not possible to to scapegoat him. Nobody is perfect. And I still think Gainey was a decent GM for us

Yep, true for sure. People forget though, what kind of shape this franchise was in when he took over. I’m not claiming that he’s Sam Pollock, but he dug us out of a very deep hole when not many people could have.

OTTAWA – Minister of Heritage James Moore says the federal government will invest millions of dollars in the Montreal Canadiens “to prevent a national treasure from falling into further disrepair.”
With Canadiens president Geoff Molson at his side, Moore said the National Hockey League team will receive assistance in a variety of ways. One is the Canada Travelling Exhibitions Indemnification Program.
According to Heritage Canada’s website, the program permits the federal government to assume “financial responsibility for loss or damage to objects and appurtenances in eligible travelling exhibitions.”
Moore explained this means Ottawa will compensate Montreal for regular season losses as well as damage to objects, or assets, such as interminably injured defenceman Andrei Markov.
“Appurtenances, or less significant parts, refers, of course, to Gomez,” he added.
Reporters grilled Moore about using tax dollars under somewhat dodgy circumstances to prop up a failing sports franchise, but the heritage minister stood his ground, saying the Canadiens’ lamentable performance – “they play as if it’s still the pre-season” – makes them eligible for exhibition funding.
The team will also get help by way of the Athlete Assistance Program, which supports “the pursuit of excellence through its contribution to improved Canadian athlete performances at major international sporting events, enabling athletes to combine their sport and academic or working careers while training intensively in pursuit of world-class performances.”
Molson rejected accusations the federal handouts were an indictment of persistent managerial mismanagement.
“It’s simply recognition that the Montreal Canadiens are a revered institution deserving of support, which, unfortunately, too many of our fans seem to have forgotten,” he said.
The franchise is eligible for hundreds of millions of dollars but is limited in what it can do with the additional money because of the league’s salary cap.
Molson didn’t see that as a problem.
“This gives us the means to buy out our mistakes whenever we want,” he crowed. “Over and over again. At some point we will get it right.”
Moore is also the minister of official languages, and the Canadiens are expected to take full advantage of that connection to fast-track the development of English-only coaches into fluent entraîneurs-chef.
“Now we can go out and sign someone like Barry Melrose without alienating our francophone fans,” Molson said.

If you want guys like kostisyn and bourque to contribute give them the chance on the pp. At what point do we concede that Gomez is past his prime? Why do Eller and Leblanc not get the opportunity to gain valuable experience? Management and coaching has to be changed more than we need to make moves right now. Make moves during the off season

The Canadiens find themselves in an interesting jam. With Gionta, Cole, Kaberle, Gomez, Markov, Plekanec, Gorges and soon to be Price and Subban locked in long term, a rebuild just isn’t happening!

It is simply impossible!

With a thin UFA market this summer all we can hope for is that we can grab a couple players to toughen up and to grind our way to a playoff spot next season. And chose wisely with our 1st round and two 2nd round picks. Next year will be a real challenge.

The 2013/14 season; Hopefully Tinordi, Bournival, Beaulieu and Gallagher are starting to make their presence’s felt? Maybe our 1st pick this summer as well?

Maybe there’s a blockbuster trade prior to next season to turn things around but highly unlikely?

yeah thats it…then he has averaged over 20 goals a year for the last 4 years, won a cup (getting 17 points in 25 games), scored 35 playoff points and been plus 40 over the last 4 years…..on pace for around 30 again this year…yeah he sucked..just like the rest of of em we scapegoated out of town….
In his “off year” he still potted 14 goals with 4th line minutes and constantly being fed dogfood from Carbo…

He’s only actually scored 25 goals once, and it’s not likely this year will be the second. He’s still younger than Ville Leino though, with more than twice as many career points, so he should be able to cash in this summer. (insert emoticon symbolising me about to hurl)

Sorry magictom but he doesn’t. The last time AK scored 25 or more goals was the only time he did it, 07-08. Since then he has scored 23, 15, 20 and this year, with 12 goals so far and 21 games remaining he is on a pace for 17. I like AK but he certainly does not score 25 a year.

So my boy and I took in the game.
Yes, my Bruins’ fan son.
If the Habs didn’t suck enough, one of two very drunk yahoos behind us spilled beer all over the back of his neck.
Now my son is 18, so patience is at a premium.
I thought we were going to be on TV, being kicked out, until he composed himself.
And the guy to my left hung over both seats, and by that I don’t mean excess weight…. he just hung over both arm rests. Poor posture.
I’m far more patient than my boy, but by the third period I had had enough. He got the message, but I was very polite….really, I was.

Anyhow, game observations.
I love our Habs, but they’re really not very good at all.
There are a few things I hadn’t noticed before that are off camera.
Like Eller coming out at the beginning of a period, while the players are seating themselves, and he’s checking out the ice in the opponents’ end. I would assume for cracks.
Bourque never stops skating. Seems to chase the puck quite a bit, but never stops.
And we all know that DD’s line is the same.
Campoli is horrid! So is Weber.
And the Boobirds started quite early tonight…mid first-period.
I prefer watching the game from the confines of my recliner.

But I got to spend some quality time with my boy. Lotsa laughs, and I found free parking to boot. I think there are four free spots with no meters in all of Montreal, and I nabbed one!
Yeah, yeah….I’m good! But the Habs aren’t

When you keep your team in the game time after time and they respond by hanging you out to dry again and again ….. If you dig you see that most games he’s lost the Habs score 1 or less goals per game. He’s supposed to do what?

What exactly do you like about CW? His line combos? Line matchups The emotion the players show in every game? The consistency? The ice time of Eller, Darche, LL, Palushaj, Gomez…? I dunno, everyone crapped over JM, but he is 10 times the coach Cunneyworth is.
The only thing CW does better than JM are no Too Many Men penalties, I’ll give you that one. Other than that, he has been pretty bad, regardless of the situation he was put in, which was pretty tough.

I was happy when Molson became owner…must have thought it was the Senator….I was happy when Gainey “stepped down”…actually I thought he was gone….silly me! I was happy when Martin was fired….I was saddened when Koivu and then Halak were dumped. Now, I realize that the organization is a shambles. The wrong people stay…and the wrong people go. It’s time for the fans in Montreal to picket the building and burn their tickets. A message must be sent to the top, and the only thing that talks is money. Boycott the rest of the season..

kesler, havlat, simon gagne, Giroux, brendan morrow, danny briere, saku koivu, keith tkatchuk , martin brodeur… i could go on if you like…
all these guys were late draft picks in the first round, what i’m getting at is since we’re not gonna make the playoffs this year why not try and go get some draft picks. They don’t have to be 1st rounders, but it wouldn’t be so bad if they were… there’s a chance we could get a guy listed above.

The saying,”It all starts at the top” is so true. Our owner is either clueless or just doesn’t give a damn! He should be asking for explanations!!!
Fire the GM, you need someone that KNOWS hockey. I’ve been a fan for over 50 years, I think this may be the weakest “talented” team so far? If not, then pretty close. Please Mr. Molson, do something right, hire a REAL GM before you are forced to sell the team because it will become a bottom feeder.

Fans: we are not making the playoffs. Embrace the tank, and hope for a great pick.Coach: Gomez sucks – stop playing him (repeat with many other players).GM: You have assembled a sh*t team.Owner: Your GM is terrible – fire him now.Media: Stop making Montreal a toxic environment for players, and good ones may want to sign here without us offering them much more money than other teams (and even then many still don’t want to play here).

__________________________
☞ “Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” – Jean Beliveau. ☜

Wow, all bold…weird.
One more though
Priceberg (AKA Black Ice, et.all). Price is not the greatest goalie in the history of all goalies. The sooner you realize that the better it will be for your peace of mind.

__________________________
☞ “Talent is a gift from God, but you only succeed with hard work. Yvan was proof of that.” – Jean Beliveau. ☜

Where did you get the quote? I have read Beliveau’s book plus have interviewed him several times. I believe the quote was in reference to Lambert. And, I am not offended. But it makes it sound as if, Yvon was less talented than he was.

I feel sorry for price. Backstopping this gang of losers. You can see the discouragement. He keeps them in and they don’t play. If he had a real team in front of him…. I’ve watched every game for the last 45 years. I’ve never been so discouraged

The Habs organization and fans need this. It will be a cleansing once the dirty feeling passes. Trust me. This tanked season will once and for all wipe away the smugness that has driven the hubris of this club. It all started with the downfall that was the centennial season. Now it has reached its nadir.

My apologies people. I saw it coming and I prophesied it. I never said it was going to be easy.

However. I also never said it will bring an instant Cup. What it will do is change the culture of the Habs and allow them the ability to finally break the cycle of mediocrity that has plagued them for too long.

Still some hard times ahead but opportunity presents itself. Patience my friends. 2015 will be a good year. Maybe sooner.

gauthier must go i can’t believe this guy is still here has everyone forgotten that this is the same management group that pissed away a 1st and 2nd round draft pick for alex tanguay a couple years ago that first round pick could have been john carlson among many other gems in the later first round. only to watch tanguay play a handful of games and wuss out for the playoffs and not be resigned, this one decent trade of gill doesn’t make up for a decade of sloppy management decisions

Price
Subban
Cole
Pacioretty
Emelin…..get what you can for all the rest. I can’t believe an owner of the once storied Montreal Canadiens, with the last name Molson, is sitting back and letting this embarrasment and disgrace continue.

Okay so I am a fan of the Montreal Canadiens’ and I have learned from them, this year, the last and a great many other years that it is all about destroying what you once loved. Let me explain; several players, coaches, gms, goalies, and whoever else leaves or gets fired, return to play the Habs and what happens?! The visitors dominate the Habs! Out shoot them, badly!
Out skate them, badly! Out check them, badly! It is fine, like Greece, the Habs are a crumbling organization, former empire, bloated owner, sorry Mr. Molson, I suppose you still have time to get fat as you count your money that measures more than your brain cells when it comes to hockey! Sad! Sad! Very bad hockey!
Hey Montreal Canadiens better stop while you are ahead, oh yes, you are usually not ahead, so forget it……

Quite apart from the high draft pick, I want us to miss the playoffs because I’ve had about all I can take of agonizing over this team – hope when they get a lead, disappointment when they blow it, futile anger when they suck as they did tonight. Six more weeks and it’ll all be over.

1) We would have had a better record with Jacques Martin at the helm.
2) From our defense keep 26, 76,74 and 22 (because we still need him for powerplays). Sell the rest.
3) From our offense keep 72, 67, 51, 71, 81, 27, 14, 21. Sell the rest.

Haha. Toe and Bowman might have put us in 7 or 8 in the conference by now. Jacques would’ve put us in 9th or 10th. RC will keep us in the 11-14 category for a while. Either way, you’re right. The boat has hit the iceberg. But the band and I will keep playing until it sinks.

The Habs organization and fans need this. It will be a cleansing once the dirty feeling passes. Trust me. This tanked season will once and for all wipe away the smugness that has driven the hubris of this club. It all started with the downfall that was the centennial season. Now it has reached its nadir.

My apologies people. I saw it coming and I prophesied it. I never said it was going to be easy.

However. I also never said it will bring an instant Cup. What it will do is change the culture of the Habs and allow them the ability to finally break the cycle of mediocrity that has plagued them for too long.

Still some hard times ahead but opportunity presents itself. Patience my friends. 2015 will be a good year. Maybe sooner.

The only reason we’re in 14th place after this game is Carolina wasn’t playing. 28th overall.
This is why I have been saying the ‘tanking’ or ‘no tanking’ thing is a moot debate. This team is so bad right now, there’s no difference between the two. Nobody can tell me having a shot at a top 3 pick is not better consolation than finishing 11th, which is the most we could achieve at this point.

I like HIO. Will tune for whatever Hab trade action unfolds by next week, but that’s it. Too depress to see this despicable season come to its miserable end. I’d like to see if Markov makes an appearance though, just to see what he can bring after all of his travails. Good luck to everyone, if you are a Habs fanatic you are awesome.

Q: Have you been impressed with the job Randy Cunneyworth has done as head coach of the Canadiens?

62% of people have been apparently IMPRESSED.

Could someone please explain to me why?
And also, since he has taken over, I have not see anyone saying one negative thing about CW.. I wonder why, he is the worst coach this team had since I watch the team.

I believe the team has quit, I can’t put this all on RC, but there is a zero chance he’ll return here, He’ll get another job, and come back here and rub our noses in it, like everybody else this teams gives up on

He is in an impossible situation, a declared lame duck, trying different stuff to try and generate something… anything… he’s taking one for the team and deserves our respect accordingly and a nice contract for another job when he’s done in a month or so.

Remember when everyone criticized JM for not showing enough passion? Lots of yelling going on now. Doesn’t seem to be doing much good. To me, the players stopped believing that the coaching staff had a viable plan somewhere near the end of October. The coaching change only made matters worse. I know this team isn’t the most talented, but that doesn’t explain why they don’t play with pride and determination. “Attitude reflects leadership.” Julius, Remember the Titans